Dial lock slide for a slide fastener

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a dial lock slide for slide fasteners used for bags or trunks, made capable of altering the dial code at will that opening the lock may become impossible for others, through its characteristic construction, wherein a slide (1) on one side has a lock bar (13) which has key (14) in projection, while another slide (2) on the other side has a cylinder (23) which has slit (23a); cylinder (23) is inserted, keeping said lock devices (30) rotatable; and a lock ring (41) with a polygonal outer surface (42) corresponding to a polygonal inner surface (33) of an inward-turning flange (32) and also inner key grooves (43) is inserted, rotatably, in a dial ring (31), which has said inward-turning flange (32) and a polygonal inner surface (33) on one side.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a dial lock slides for a slide fastenerof a bag, a trunk, etc., and, especially, to one for a slide fastener somanufactured as to prevent theft by enabling the carrier to alter thedial code at will.

The locking device of prior arts is so made, as is seen in FIG. 7, thata slide 91 on one side and another slide 92 on the other side are slidtoward each other, a pair of rows of elements (not shown in the drawing)are joined and a handle 93 connected with the lug 92a of said slide 92on one side is turned, while a lever 93a is kept pressed down, so that alug 91a of said slide 91 may be inserted in a lock groove 93b of saidhandle 93, and said lever 93a is released, whereupon said handle 93 andsaid slide 91 are joined by means of a lock member 93c, and this state akey cylinder 93d of said handle 93 is turned by a key to fix said lockmember 93c.

But in a locking device for a slide fastener of prior arts it is foundpretty easy to open the lock by the use of a key not quite fitting thekey cylinder 93d, and thus the practicability of such a locking deviceis quite insignificant, and, for a serious disadvantage, it isimpossible to apply such a device for of prior arts to a slide fastenerwith more than three slides.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is, therefore, intended to supplement theseshortcomings and provide a dial lock slide for slide fastener, whichallows of alteration of the dial code at will to prevent an easy openingaccess of the lock.

With a view to achieve the above objectives the present invention ischaracterized by its specific construction, wherein a lock bar, whichhas a number of keys projected in a line on both sides of the outersurface, is provided at the end the lug of a slide; a cylinder, whichhas guide slits open on both sides so as to admit of the insertion ofsaid keys above in them, is provided at the end of the lug of the slideon the other side; a number of locking devices, which are made byinsertion of a lock ring with inner key grooves in a dial ring in a waythat it can be fitted or removed at will, are provided so that saidcylinder can be inserted in them as a whole keeping them rotatable atall times; and the end of said cylinder is inserted in a coupling ringintended for prevention of said locking devices from falling off.

By this construction, after rotating said locking devices so that slitson both sides of said cylinder and said inner key ring grooves may bejoined together said lock bar is inserted in said cylinder, and whensaid locking devices are turned to certain degrees the slides on bothsides will catch to lock.

Below, the present invention is described in further detail, referencesbeing made to the attached drawings as are required:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is perspective view of the slide showing the present invention asit is in use.

FIG. 2 is an exploded break-up perspective view of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective view of the cylinder and two lockingdevices of the present invention.

FIG. 3B is an enlarged exploded perspective view of a locking device andcoupling ring of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the slide as it is on the lock.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the slide showing the lock bar beinginserted in the cylinder taken along lines 5--5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another embodiment example of thepreset invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a device of the prior art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. one is a perspective view to show the present invention, whichshows the slides 1, 2 on both sides positioned facing each other, whichjoin a pair of rows of elements 3 together or separate them from eachother by their sliding. The dial lock of the present invention comprisesgenerally a male slide 1 and a female slide 2 which engage one anotherand are locked together by rotatable locking devices.

On the forward end of said lug 12 positioned on the upper surface of anupper wing 11 of said male slide 1 is said lock bar 13 positioned,projecting, which has a number of keys 14 (three each, here) aligned inthe direction of an axis on both of the outer surface.

Meanwhile, on the front end of said lug 22 positioned on the surface ofsaid upper wing 21 of said female slide 2 on the other side, as is seenin FIG. 3, is a cylinder 23 having guide slits 23a for keys 14 agape onboth sides positioned, projecting, to receive to said lock bar 13 and astopper 24 fixed on its one end.

Accordingly, keys 14 are guided by slits 23a said lock bar 13 can beinserted in said cylinder 23.

Positioned around the outer surface of said cylinder 23 are a number of(three, here) locking devices 30 are fitted rotatably as seen in FIGS. 2and 3A.

As seen in FIG. 3B, said locking devices 30 are constituted by bothforming an inward-turning flange 32 on one side and inserting,rotatably, a lock ring 41, which has inner key grooves 43 for insertionof said key 14 formed on both sides of the inner surface correspondingto said slit 23a and also has a polygonal outer surface 42 correspondingto the inner surface 33 of said dial ring 31, in a dial 31 with itsouter surface 33, 34 shaped in a polygon (preferably an equilateralpolygon). The inner diameter and the thickness of said inward-turningflange 32 of said dial ring 31 are made just a little bit larger thanthe outer diameter and the thickness of said key 14.

And around the outer surface of the end of said cylinder 23, aroundwhich said locking devices 30 are fitted, a coupling ring 51 is fitted,to be removed at will, in order to keep said locking devices 30 fromfalling off said cylinder 23.

Said coupling ring 51 has inner key grooves 52 on both sides of itsinner surface, said inner key grooves 52 being fitted to get throughsaid slits 23a.

Around said outer surface 34 of each dial ring 31 are Arabic figuresindicated.

Accordingly, when said lock bar 13 is inserted in said cylinder 23while, as are shown in FIG. 5, said slit 23a of said cylinder 23, saidinner key grooves 43 of each lock ring 41, and said inner key grooves 52of said coupling ring 51 are connected through, then said keys 14, threeeach being formed on both sides of said lock bar 13, grooves 52, 43,stop in turn at possible corresponding to said inward-turning flange 32of each dial ring 31, as is indicated in FIG. 4.

At this stage it is still possible to remove said lock bar 13 out ofsaid cylinder 23, and so said locking devices 30 can be turned towhatever degrees at random, seeing the Arabic figures, namely, dialnumbers (three-digits here) aligned on a side of said outer surface 34of each dial ring 31. Then, afterwards, as the inner surface 33 of saiddial ring 31 and the outer surface 42 of said lock ring 41 are bothformed in equilateral polygons, and as said lock ring 41 turns togetherwith said dial ring 31, the angles of said key 14 and said inner grooves42 do not match, whereupon it becomes impossible to take said lock bar13 out of said cylinder 23. That is, said slides 1, 2 are now on thelock.

In order to open the lock, it is required now to turn said inner lockingdevices 30 to match the remembered code, when said inner key grooves 43of said lock ring 41 come in unison with said slits 23a, that is to astate given in FIG. 5, where it is possible to take said lock bar 13from said cylinder 23.

In case the secret of a dial code gets disclosed to another person it isrequired to remove said lock ring 41 from said dial ring 31 afterseparating said coupling ring 51 and said locking devices 30 from saidcylinder 23, then refit said lock ring 41 into said dial ring 31corresponding with said inner key grooves 43 of said lock ring 41 showdifferent figures from before. Now refitting said locking devices 30 andsaid coupling ring 51 to said cylinder 23 in the way given above andlocking both sides 1, 2 will result in a different secret code toprevent theft.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another example of embodiment, making itpossible to lock said slides 1, 2 on both sides facing each other andanother slides 6 directly crossing with them, all three together.

At the end of a lug 62 of an upper wing 61 of said slider 6, a ring 63is formed perpendicularly.

Wherefore, it is possible to lock said three slides 1, 2, 3 with ease byinserting said lock bar 13 in said cylinder 23 of said slider 3 withsaid locking devices 30 and said coupling ring 51 fitted around it, ashas been indicated above, after fully inserting said ring 63 in saidlock bar 13 of said slide 1 before locking both slides 1, 2, and then byturning said locking devices 30 to whatever degrees at random.

As has been described above, in the present invention, a lock bar 13 isformed to a slide 1, one of the corresponding slides, and a cylinder 23to another slide 2 at the other, while in the meantime it has been madepossible to alter the dial code at will to prevent theft by means ofconstructing said lock devices 30 fitted to said cylinder 23 byinserting a lock ring 41 which has a polygonal outer surface 42corresponding with said inner surface 33 in said dial ring 33 which hasa polygonal inner surface 33, so as to be capable of removal at will.

Moreover, by means of forming said ring 63 to said third slide 3 whichdirectly crosses with both of the corresponding slides 1, 2 it is madepossible to lock even three slides 1, 2, 6 together with ease.

We claim:
 1. A dial lock device for locking together at least two slidesof a slide fastener, said dial lock device comprising:a male portioncomprising a lock bar having a longitudinal axis defining an engagingaxis of said dial lock, said male member including a key protrudingradially from said lock bar; a female portion for receiving said maleportion, said female portion comprisingan inner cylinder having a guideslit for receiving said key, a locking device comprising a dial ringhaving a hexagonal outer surface for manipulating said dial ring and anodd-numbered-sided polygonal inner surface with an annular inwardturning flange abutment and a lock ring having a correspondinglyodd-numbered-sided polygonal outer surface received in said innersurface of said dial ring and abutting said inward turning flange, eachside of said polygonal outer surface of said lock ring having a matingside on said polygonal inner surface of said dial ring so that each sideof said lock ring outer surface engages a corresponding side of saiddial ring inner surface such that said lock ring is completelysurrounded by said dial ring on all sides for positive engagement ofsaid lock ring therein, said lock ring also including an inner keygroove for alignment with said guide slit; and a coupling ring having akey groove affixed to said female portion for retaining said dial ringon said inner cylinder, wherein alignment of said guide slit, said innerkey groove and said key groove of said coupling ring enable insertion ofsaid lock bar into said female portion and rotation of said dial ringlocks said lock bar within said female portion.
 2. The dial lock deviceof claim 1, wherein said lock bar further comprises a second keyprotruding radially from said lock bar in opposing relation to saidfirst key and said female portion further comprises a second guide slit,a second inner key groove and a second key groove to align with oneanother and to receive said second key when aligned for more securelylocking said lock bar within said female portion.
 3. The dial lockdevice of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of keys spacedlongitudinally along said lock bar of said male portion and acorresponding number of locking devices spaced longitudinally along saidfemale portion for engaging said keys.
 4. The dial lock device of claim1, further comprising a locking ring of a third slide portion sized toreceive said male portion and be retained between said male portion andsaid female portion when said locking device engages said key.